A Hiking Story

One lovely Saturday (after our chores were done) we went for a hike.   I gave everyone heart suckers for finishing their work.  I thought Q would chew his in seconds but the sucker endured.  Then I kept worrying about him falling and choking on it.  So I would hold the sucker when the path got rocky, and return it when we found our way back to a leisurely stroll.

It was a very fine hike indeed.  The kids talked and explored and noticed various cacti and petroglyphs.

Then Q got a bug on his hat...

...which concerned him.

Dennis was sweet.  I could just eat him up sometimes.  Except when he watches TV and pretends like the whole world doesn't exist and he can't hear me asking him questions.  That drives me nutty.

Mr. C carried the water bottles.  Miss B paid him to carry her share.  Whatever works.

 

Q gave me this goofy look complete with sucker face, when I asked him for a smile.  He really wasn't mad or ornery.  This is just a blank stare, I suppose.

Then he gave me an even goofier one.

Then Miss B was like, "Aaaaahhhhh!  Don't fall Q!  Be careful.  I'll save you!"  But it's okay, because he survived and slid all the way down the rock.  I think even his new pants survived too.  Which is good.

Miss B and Dennis climbed every large boulder in sight.  Also, they (along with Mr. C) collected barrel cactus spines that now reside in a place of honor beside Mr. C's bed.  I had to tell him to remove them from the window sill directly above his bed for fear of them falling on his noggin in the night.  Yikes.

At one point, Q's sucker had a dirt bath.  Q was quite shaken.

Then I said, "Dennis, take a picture with me because you are a cutie and I want to be in a picture, but not by myself because I feel awkward by myself."  And he said, "Okay mom."

Then we headed back and took a wrong turn because we were enjoying the happy kids and the playing and smiling and pretty weather.  So we backtracked and rushed to get Miss B home on time for a babysitting job.  We got her home just about 32 seconds before her babysitting family came to pick her up (seriously, they were right behind us).  Woosh.  It was close.  Q was super tuckered out from the running and extra hiking due to our turn-missing.  He kept hunching down in the path until we took turns packing him out.  And Dennis had glowing ears.

The End.